episode_0019

The Ice Princess acknowledged her defeat.

Lia’s ultimate strike— A collision of scorching flames and unyielding ice, the paradoxical forces wielded as one—crushed everything in its path.

It was a strike so overwhelming it could melt even the sturdiest of barriers.

Had it been aimed not beside me, but directly at me, I would have died without a doubt.

There was no choice but to admit defeat. No choice but to acknowledge her strength.

That was why I readily accepted her offer to join as an ally.

But.

Other questions inevitably arose.

“What do you mean by ‘stopping my master from running away together’?” “No, before that—” “Why is your master trying to run away in the first place?”

This was the question.

Why would someone referred to as “master” even attempt to flee?

“I don’t know either.” “?” “That’s why I’m asking for your help.” “We can’t plan a countermeasure unless we figure out why he wants to run.” “Hmm…” “I do have one question.” “What is it?” “How are you so sure he’s going to run?” “Because even yesterday, he tried to leave, saying we should each go our own way.” “?” “Yesterday was alright, though.” “I cried and grabbed onto him, so he stayed.” “???” “My master still thinks I’m a crybaby coward.” “That’s why he followed me all the way here.”

It was true—until yesterday.

Not anymore.

I had clearly proven my strength. I now knew I could even defeat the Demon King.

(‘My master said it himself.’) (‘That I could win even if I fought right now.’)

True, he added that I could only win if I fought without crying— But now, I was confident I could fight without tears.

The Demon King would be no match for me.

But.

If my master realized that, he might leave before I could officially recruit him as an ally.

So, I pretended to still be the same crybaby coward.

…That was the reasoning I explained.

“But if I recruit allies, that means I’ll have new protectors.” “So he thinks he can leave?” “Yeah.”

The reason my master stayed by my side was simple.

He only followed me around because he worried that a crybaby coward like me might die somewhere alone.

But.

If someone as strong as the Ice Princess joined, that worry would vanish.

A stronger person would be protecting me now. He’d think his presence was no longer necessary.

And that was the problem.

If I recruited the Ice Princess, my master would run.

So I thought of a plan.

(‘I’ll recruit her first, then ask her to help me stall while avoiding formal recruitment talks.’)

…When I explained this, the Ice Princess nodded in understanding.

“You’re saying you want me to buy you time?” “Yes.” “During that time, you’ll figure out your master’s motives and a way to keep him?” “That’s the general plan, right?” “Exactly.” “Do you think it’ll work?” “What do you mean?” “The fact that you still don’t know his motives despite traveling together means his goals are that secretive.” “It won’t be easy to uncover.” “That’s not true.” “It isn’t?” “I don’t know his motives simply because I never had the chance to ask.” “No chance?” “I’ve only known my master for a day… or two?… That’s it.” “That’s it?!” “Yeah.” “Honestly, even arriving in the Ice Kingdom of Gleysia today was unexpected.” “Originally, it should’ve taken about a month’s travel.”

A month, if paced leisurely. Even moving urgently, it would’ve easily taken two weeks.

But.

My master crossed that distance in a single day.

He used an illegal warp gate secretly built by criminals to move in an instant— And because of that, the plan fell apart.

I had expected a month to slowly figure things out, but now, suddenly, only a day remained.

…Hearing this, the Ice Princess looked dumbfounded.

“Your master is really bold…” “Those outlaw-built warp gates are shoddy and unstable. You could disintegrate mid-transit…” “And he used one?!…” “It was that dangerous?” “Extremely.” “Even warp gates made by skilled spatial mages can only be reused for destinations they’ve been to before—all because of stability issues.” “Using an illegal warp gate that ignores even that is gambling with your life.” “What if the criminals were really skilled?” “Huh?…” “W-Well, maybe then it’d be fine, but…” “A top-tier spatial mage could live lavishly working legally. Why would they resort to crime?” “My master said this—” “‘Kikl might be a villain, but as a spatial mage, his skill is unmatched by anyone.’” “……Kikl?” “Yeah.” “‘The spatial magic prodigy, Kikl’?” “Is he famous?” “Famous doesn’t even cover it.” “He was a genius so legendary, they said he ‘opened a new era in spatial magic.’”

The Ice Princess pressed her fingers to her temple as she spoke.

“The problem is, he was also a madman who blew up entire villages ‘testing experimental spatial magic.’” “Entire villages?” “He theorized that leveraging spatial magic’s runaway effects could enable mass teleportation—” “But the result was catastrophic failure.” “The villages were torn apart and rained from the sky in pieces.” “……” “After that incident, a bounty was placed on him.” “Kikl teleported away and hasn’t been heard from in years.” “Sounds like a real monster.” “He was a monster.” “Just the confirmed deaths he caused number in the hundreds.” “Since most were peasants, the bounty itself isn’t exorbitant… but even knights dispatched to hunt him couldn’t find a single trace.” “And your master caught him?…” “That’s… impressive.” “Right?” “Our master is amazing, isn’t he?” “Though honestly, the sheer boldness of tricking that man and even using his warp gate is even more impressive…” “He even captured him and sold him into slavery!” “That is remarkable, but…” “Right?” “Isn’t Master amazing?”

The Ice Princess found Lia’s adoration slightly baffling.

(‘What kind of person earns such reverence from a disciple they’ve only known for one or two days?’)

Respect usually requires time to build, Yet Lia’s admiration had formed practically overnight.

Was this master really that exceptional?

(‘Now I’m even more curious…’)

Thus.

She agreed to the plan of stopping him from running.

If this “master” stayed, she might learn something herself.

…With that thought, she listened to Lia’s explanation.

The master’s plan to keep Lia close was…

(‘Lure her with something cute.’) (‘Then catch her.’)

A painfully simple strategy. So flimsy it was hard to believe anyone could fall for it.

But the problem was—it worked on her.

Because she loved cute things.

The kind of person who’d unconsciously chase after baby animals if she saw them.

But.

Nobody knew this.

Her preference was a closely guarded secret.

She always made sure no one was around before indulging.

(‘It’d be too embarrassing if found out…’)

So.

The chance of anyone knowing her weakness was practically zero.

…Or so she thought.

Yet this “master” somehow knew.

(‘At this point, isn’t he practically a stalker?’)

But then—

“That’s just how incredible Master is.” “He’s that knowledgeable—there’s almost nothing he doesn’t know.” “Knowledgeable?” “Read this, and you’ll understand Master’s greatness.”

Lia handed over a book.

Ah.

That book.

The one the master wrote, mentioned during their duel.

“I’ll take a look.”

Reading it quickly—

“T-This is?…”

It was a guide— Detailing how to defeat the Demon King and save the world.

…That alone was surprising, but The real shock was the alarmingly detailed records on potential Hero Party candidates—

“Wow…” “This is insane…”

And more.

Even future techniques she could learn were recorded.

How to achieve breakthroughs for new skills. What kind of training would make her stronger. All meticulously documented.

But then—

“Li…Lia?…” “What the hell is this ‘Cursed Ring ’?…” “Does something like this actually exist?…”

The Cursed Ring — A miraculous artifact that could seal her mana outbursts.

She had always been alone because of her uncontrollable magic. She thought she’d go mad from the isolation.

Yet all along, there existed something that could instantly solve this cursed affliction?!

…She asked in disbelief.

“Master has it.” “He said he’d give it to you if you joined us.” “……”

For a moment, she silently dropped to her knees in prayer.

“Ahh…” “To think such grace exists in this world…” “You are not merely a master…” “You are a savior…” “The savior of my life.”

One who understood her skills, abilities, and talent— And already devised training tailored just for her.

One who understood her suffering— And showed her the path to salvation.

How could she ever repay such kindness?

“Master” was too small a word.

Savior.

You are the savior of my life.

(‘Using a curse to suppress mana outbursts…’) (‘I never would have reached this realization without your grace…’)

A curse.

She had never considered exploiting something so vile and grotesque.

Though she had researched ways to control her outbursts, The idea of using a curse never even crossed her mind.

Because the very notion that such a filthy power could save someone was unthinkable.

But.

Her savior was different.

(‘Ah…’) (‘So this is what true mastery is…’)

It wasn’t just about refining what was already useful— But transforming the useless into something indispensable.

That was true technique.

(‘Is this how humanity felt upon discovering fire…?’)

Fire was a disaster.

It burned everything— Even people.

But.

It could roast meat. Warm bodies in the cold. Melt ore into weapons and armor.

At first, it was calamity— But once harnessed, it became the greatest tool for mankind’s progress.

Curses were the same.

Unknown, they were ruin— But understood, they could be salvation.

(‘Ah…’) (‘Thanks to the Savior, I’ve finally understood…’)

Overwhelmed, she continued reading—until—

Scribble!

Suddenly, new words appeared on the page.

[If you’re reading this, I’ve already left.]